Nigeria’s Super Falcons need to shoot without missing when they play against Japan in their last group C game of the Paris 2024 Olympics, otherwise they would be catching an early flight back home.
The Super Falcons lost their two previous games against Brazil and Spain with missed chances coming back to haunt them, they have to score at least two unreplied goals and hope that Brazil loses to Spain for them to have a chance of advancing to the knockout stage.
However, coach Randy Waldrum and captain Rasheedat Ajibade are confident that the team would be able to do the tightrope walking at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Wednesday.
Perhaps the Super Falcons can take inspiration from the squad for the of 2004 Olympics who beat Japan 1-0 with Vera Okolo’s goal to reach the quarter-final of the Olympics in Athens for the first and only time.
“Victory over Japan is possible. We will work hard so that we can accomplish that. The Super Falcons have done it before and we can do it again,” said captain Rasheedat Ajibade.
Coach Waldrum believes that a win over Japan could guarantee them a passage to the quarter final.
“The way the matches had gone, we still needed a result against Japan and had the chance of going through, so whether we lose or we draw, we still had the opportunity,” Waldrum said.
“I think if we beat Japan depending on what happens in Canada’s group since they have got six points.
“I think it’s going to be difficult for a third-placed team to come out of that group, so it’s going to come out of the other two groups and right now Japan got the win late against Brazil.
“So, they are on three points and Brazil are on three points, so if we can get the result against Japan, we’ll be on three (points), so there’s a possibility that we can still go through as third-place team in that group.”
